Poetry
Laima Vincė is a graduate of the Columbia University School of the Arts MFA program in Creative Writing. She is a recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, two Fulbright lectureships, a PEN Translation grant, and an Academy of American Poets award, among other honours. Her memoir in diary form of her student years at Vilnius University in 1988-1989 during the time of Lithuania's singing revolution was published in 2008 by the Lithuanian Writers' Union Publishers as Lenin's Head on a Platter. Her novel for children, The Ghost in Hannah's Parlour, was translated into Lithuanian (Vaiduoklė Svetainėje) and was selected by Lithuanian Radio and Television as one of the top five books published for children in 2007.
Laima Vincė is the translator of Marcelijus Martinaitis's collection K.B. The Suspect, published by White Pines Press. She is also the translator of Juozas Lukša's Forest Brothers (Central European University Press), an account of Lithuania's post-war armed resistance against the Soviet Union. Writing under the name Laima Sruoginis, she is the editor and translator of three anthologies of contemporary Lithuanian literature: The Earth Remains (Columbia University Press), Lithuania in Her Own Words (Tyto Alba), and Raw Amber (Poetry Salzburg). Laima Sruoginis is also the translator of My Voice Betrays Me (Vanda Juknaitė, Columbia University Press), Just One Moment More (Konstancija Bražienienė, Columbia University Press), and Letters from Nowhere (Jonas Mekas, Paris Experimental).
Laima Vincė has published her poems in Poetry Daily, The Artful Dodge, Agni and other journals. She also writes as a journalist on contemporary social issues in Lithuania.
2008
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eiti į svetainę
eiti į svetainę
National Translation Month 2017: Five Lithuanian Poets in Translation by Laima Vince
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Poems by Laima Vince
Volume 52, No. 1 - Spring 2006
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This coming of age story spans two continents and several generations. Based on true events, the story begins with the armed resistance of Lithuanians against Soviet occupation in the 1940s, a struggle that will resonate with many people around the world today. After losing her parents in this “invisible war”, the story’s heroine is able to escape to Poland and then to New York City, where she and then her children grow up. And they grow up and look to find their way in the tumultuous 60s, 70s and 80s against the backdrop of social change, new opportunities for women, and the drug culture – and with the tragic legacy of their home country. Finally, as Lithuania begins to regain its independence in the late 1980s, the characters come to terms with life in their new country, the possibilities of returning to their old country, and their strong but challenging family relationships.
This coming of age story spans two continents and several generations. Based on true events, the story begins with the armed resistance of Lithuanians against Soviet occupation in the 1940s, a struggle that will resonate with many people around the world today. After losing her parents in this “invisible war”, the story’s heroine is able to escape to Poland and then to New York City, where she and then her children grow up. And they grow up and look to find their way in the tumultuous 60s, 70s and 80s against the backdrop of social change, new opportunities for women, and the drug culture – and with the tragic legacy of their home country. Finally, as Lithuania begins to regain its independence in the late 1980s, the characters come to terms with life in their new country, the possibilities of returning to their old country, and their strong but challenging family relationships.
This coming of age story spans two continents and several generations. Based on true events, the story begins with the armed resistance of Lithuanians against Soviet occupation in the 1940s, a struggle that will resonate with many people around the world today. After losing her parents in this “invisible war”, the story’s heroine is able to escape to Poland and then to New York City, where she and then her children grow up. And they grow up and look to find their way in the tumultuous 60s, 70s and 80s against the backdrop of social change, new opportunities for women, and the drug culture – and with the tragic legacy of their home country. Finally, as Lithuania begins to regain its independence in the late 1980s, the characters come to terms with life in their new country, the possibilities of returning to their old country, and their strong but challenging family relationships.
This coming of age story spans two continents and several generations. Based on true events, the story begins with the armed resistance of Lithuanians against Soviet occupation in the 1940s, a struggle that will resonate with many people around the world today. After losing her parents in this “invisible war”, the story’s heroine is able to escape to Poland and then to New York City, where she and then her children grow up. And they grow up and look to find their way in the tumultuous 60s, 70s and 80s against the backdrop of social change, new opportunities for women, and the drug culture – and with the tragic legacy of their home country. Finally, as Lithuania begins to regain its independence in the late 1980s, the characters come to terms with life in their new country, the possibilities of returning to their old country, and their strong but challenging family relationships.
This coming of age story spans two continents and several generations. Based on true events, the story begins with the armed resistance of Lithuanians against Soviet occupation in the 1940s, a struggle that will resonate with many people around the world today. After losing her parents in this “invisible war”, the story’s heroine is able to escape to Poland and then to New York City, where she and then her children grow up. And they grow up and look to find their way in the tumultuous 60s, 70s and 80s against the backdrop of social change, new opportunities for women, and the drug culture – and with the tragic legacy of their home country. Finally, as Lithuania begins to regain its independence in the late 1980s, the characters come to terms with life in their new country, the possibilities of returning to their old country, and their strong but challenging family relationships.
This coming of age story spans two continents and several generations. Based on true events, the story begins with the armed resistance of Lithuanians against Soviet occupation in the 1940s, a struggle that will resonate with many people around the world today. After losing her parents in this “invisible war”, the story’s heroine is able to escape to Poland and then to New York City, where she and then her children grow up. And they grow up and look to find their way in the tumultuous 60s, 70s and 80s against the backdrop of social change, new opportunities for women, and the drug culture – and with the tragic legacy of their home country. Finally, as Lithuania begins to regain its independence in the late 1980s, the characters come to terms with life in their new country, the possibilities of returning to their old country, and their strong but challenging family relationships.
This coming of age story spans two continents and several generations. Based on true events, the story begins with the armed resistance of Lithuanians against Soviet occupation in the 1940s, a struggle that will resonate with many people around the world today. After losing her parents in this “invisible war”, the story’s heroine is able to escape to Poland and then to New York City, where she and then her children grow up. And they grow up and look to find their way in the tumultuous 60s, 70s and 80s against the backdrop of social change, new opportunities for women, and the drug culture – and with the tragic legacy of their home country. Finally, as Lithuania begins to regain its independence in the late 1980s, the characters come to terms with life in their new country, the possibilities of returning to their old country, and their strong but challenging family relationships.
This coming of age story spans two continents and several generations. Based on true events, the story begins with the armed resistance of Lithuanians against Soviet occupation in the 1940s, a struggle that will resonate with many people around the world today. After losing her parents in this “invisible war”, the story’s heroine is able to escape to Poland and then to New York City, where she and then her children grow up. And they grow up and look to find their way in the tumultuous 60s, 70s and 80s against the backdrop of social change, new opportunities for women, and the drug culture – and with the tragic legacy of their home country. Finally, as Lithuania begins to regain its independence in the late 1980s, the characters come to terms with life in their new country, the possibilities of returning to their old country, and their strong but challenging family relationships.
This coming of age story spans two continents and several generations. Based on true events, the story begins with the armed resistance of Lithuanians against Soviet occupation in the 1940s, a struggle that will resonate with many people around the world today. After losing her parents in this “invisible war”, the story’s heroine is able to escape to Poland and then to New York City, where she and then her children grow up. And they grow up and look to find their way in the tumultuous 60s, 70s and 80s against the backdrop of social change, new opportunities for women, and the drug culture – and with the tragic legacy of their home country. Finally, as Lithuania begins to regain its independence in the late 1980s, the characters come to terms with life in their new country, the possibilities of returning to their old country, and their strong but challenging family relationships.
This coming of age story spans two continents and several generations. Based on true events, the story begins with the armed resistance of Lithuanians against Soviet occupation in the 1940s, a struggle that will resonate with many people around the world today. After losing her parents in this “invisible war”, the story’s heroine is able to escape to Poland and then to New York City, where she and then her children grow up. And they grow up and look to find their way in the tumultuous 60s, 70s and 80s against the backdrop of social change, new opportunities for women, and the drug culture – and with the tragic legacy of their home country. Finally, as Lithuania begins to regain its independence in the late 1980s, the characters come to terms with life in their new country, the possibilities of returning to their old country, and their strong but challenging family relationships.
This coming of age story spans two continents and several generations. Based on true events, the story begins with the armed resistance of Lithuanians against Soviet occupation in the 1940s, a struggle that will resonate with many people around the world today. After losing her parents in this “invisible war”, the story’s heroine is able to escape to Poland and then to New York City, where she and then her children grow up. And they grow up and look to find their way in the tumultuous 60s, 70s and 80s against the backdrop of social change, new opportunities for women, and the drug culture – and with the tragic legacy of their home country. Finally, as Lithuania begins to regain its independence in the late 1980s, the characters come to terms with life in their new country, the possibilities of returning to their old country, and their strong but challenging family relationships.
This coming of age story spans two continents and several generations. Based on true events, the story begins with the armed resistance of Lithuanians against Soviet occupation in the 1940s, a struggle that will resonate with many people around the world today. After losing her parents in this “invisible war”, the story’s heroine is able to escape to Poland and then to New York City, where she and then her children grow up. And they grow up and look to find their way in the tumultuous 60s, 70s and 80s against the backdrop of social change, new opportunities for women, and the drug culture – and with the tragic legacy of their home country. Finally, as Lithuania begins to regain its independence in the late 1980s, the characters come to terms with life in their new country, the possibilities of returning to their old country, and their strong but challenging family relationships.
This coming of age story spans two continents and several generations. Based on true events, the story begins with the armed resistance of Lithuanians against Soviet occupation in the 1940s, a struggle that will resonate with many people around the world today. After losing her parents in this “invisible war”, the story’s heroine is able to escape to Poland and then to New York City, where she and then her children grow up. And they grow up and look to find their way in the tumultuous 60s, 70s and 80s against the backdrop of social change, new opportunities for women, and the drug culture – and with the tragic legacy of their home country. Finally, as Lithuania begins to regain its independence in the late 1980s, the characters come to terms with life in their new country, the possibilities of returning to their old country, and their strong but challenging family relationships.
This coming of age story spans two continents and several generations. Based on true events, the story begins with the armed resistance of Lithuanians against Soviet occupation in the 1940s, a struggle that will resonate with many people around the world today. After losing her parents in this “invisible war”, the story’s heroine is able to escape to Poland and then to New York City, where she and then her children grow up. And they grow up and look to find their way in the tumultuous 60s, 70s and 80s against the backdrop of social change, new opportunities for women, and the drug culture – and with the tragic legacy of their home country. Finally, as Lithuania begins to regain its independence in the late 1980s, the characters come to terms with life in their new country, the possibilities of returning to their old country, and their strong but challenging family relationships.
This coming of age story spans two continents and several generations. Based on true events, the story begins with the armed resistance of Lithuanians against Soviet occupation in the 1940s, a struggle that will resonate with many people around the world today. After losing her parents in this “invisible war”, the story’s heroine is able to escape to Poland and then to New York City, where she and then her children grow up. And they grow up and look to find their way in the tumultuous 60s, 70s and 80s against the backdrop of social change, new opportunities for women, and the drug culture – and with the tragic legacy of their home country. Finally, as Lithuania begins to regain its independence in the late 1980s, the characters come to terms with life in their new country, the possibilities of returning to their old country, and their strong but challenging family relationships.
In recent years, my fate has brought me to live and work in countries and cities that are vastly different from the New York metro area where I grew up, completed my studies, married, and started a family. Intermittently over the past thirty-two years (since 1988), I have lived in Lithuania, the home of my father and my grandparents until World War II swept them across the Atlantic Ocean to America. Lithuania—for me is pure soul and the power of nature. I lived and taught in Hong Kong for two years, where I was the department head of the English Department of an international high school. And then, two years later, in cultural contrast with Hong Kong, I lived and taught for two years at an American cultural exchange program in Beijing, China. Thus, I was able to experience two Chinas—one Communist and one a Western democracy. I experienced the traditions, culture, climate, and people of both northern China and southern China. Living in Asia for four years enabled me to visit and absorb the cultures of parts of the world I’d never dreamed I’d be fortunate enough to see and experience—Bhutan, Bali, Tibet. An Indian businessman once said to me, “China is not a country. China is a civilization.” Perhaps the only way that I could make sense of daily life in China was through writing poetry. My poems are like diary entries. Through this elusive and concentrated form, I hoped to express a corner of what I experienced in Asia. When I return to the United States, I live in Maine, in New England. This part of the United States has its own unique culture, its own dynamic that speaks to me, again, through poetry.
What The Willow Have Taught Me: Poems by Laima Vince
The Cosmic Tree: Poems by Laima Vince
Laima Vince began writing these poems as a MFA student at Columbia University School of the Arts. She continued writing poetry throughout her life, as she passed through many different phases of womanhood--marriage, motherhood, divorce, self-discovery, coming the terms. These poems consider what it means to be a woman in the twentieth and twentieth-first centuries. The poems also reflect a life of creativity and personal challenge.